CURE Matters Vol. 6 No. 1

In Brief
Technology Generation
and Validation
Breeding for rice submergence
tolerance and stagnant flooding
tolerance
in Vietnam
Conquering floods and drought with
climate-smart rice
Lao farmers join field trials for better
varieties and yields
Developing best rice varieties
and management practices for
Philippine rainfed areas
Myanmar partners produce high-
yielding salinity-tolerant rice
varieties
Managing salt-affected soils through
proper fertilizer treatment in the
Mekong Delta
Building Capacity for
Innovation
Consultation-workshop on
technology transfer for
rice in unfavorable upland
environments of northern and
central Vietnam
Enabling poor rice farmers to
improve livelihood and overcome
poverty in northeastern
Thailand’s salt-affected areas
Indonesia to disseminate stress-
tolerant varieties and modern
practices in less favorable rice
areas
Words from the Field
Khushi Ram Mishra and Lok Nath
Devkota: profiles of successful
seed producer farmers in Nepal
Tidbits
Publications
CURE Mover
A heart for Filipino farmers
Inthisissue
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4
7
9
12
14
Vol. 6 No. 1 May 2016CONSORTIUM FOR UNFAVORABLE RICE ENVIRONMENTS
CUREMatters
W
e aspire to improve rice
yields in unfavorable
environments.
Consortium for
Unfavorable Rice
Environments (CURE) is constantly on
the lookout for innovative approaches
to enhance the validation, testing, wider
promotion, and adoption of gender-
sensitive technologies in less favorable
rice areas. Hence, as we continue to
share with you the results of our work,
we present what we have garnered over
the past year: stories on technology
generation and development, on
farmers who have gained a new source
of pride (by using our high-yielding
stress-tolerant varieties), and on
partnerships we have nurtured during
the 15 years that we’ve been here.
Our partners from Laos have been
developing flood-tolerant varieties
(nonglutinous) and screening lines
resistant to insect damage. Rice
scientists from Myanmar have been
doing good work combating problems
in salt-affected areas. Vietnam is also
making headway overcoming stagnant
flooding, cold weather, salinity, and
drought. The Philippines likewise
In Brief
has been creating awareness on new
drought-tolerant varieties, grown in
Tarlac and Pangasinan. Farmers have
evaluated varieties and selected their
preferences based on their own criteria,
such as resistance to lodging, number
and length of grains, length of panicles,
and tolerance of drought.
We are also consistent in our aim at
reaching out to one another and our
beneficiaries, sharing knowledge and
skills we’ve gained from our experiences
in the field. In Vietnam and Thailand,
training on seed production, rice
intensification, and dissemination
of new varieties was conducted. We
continuously support the countries’
effort to take up the technological
developments from our partnerships,
with policies and programs that will
ensure wider dissemination of new
stress-tolerant varieties and appropriate
management practices. Along this, a
consolidation-workshop in Indonesia
was held, organized by the national
government’s Directorate General of
Food Crops in cooperation with the
Indonesian Center for Rice Research and
CURE.
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Continued on next page

May2016 | Vol.6 No.1 ▌CUREMatters2
T
he major constraints in
agricultural production
in the Mekong Delta
are stagnant yields in
irrigated lowlands,
biotic stresses (such as sheath
blight, blast, bacterial blight, brown
planthopper, stem borer, thrips, and
leaf-folder), abiotic stresses (such as
acid sulfate soils, salinity, drought,
and heat), the lack of varieties
resistant to biotic and abiotic
stresses, low yield in hybrid rice, too
Breeding for rice submergence
tolerance and stagnant flooding
tolerance in Vietnam
few parental lines for developing
hybrids, too few heterotic hybrids
suited to both the Red River and
Mekong River deltas, and poor grain
quality of inbreds and hybrids.
Worse, more rice areas have been
converted to nonagricultural use
each year. Rapid urbanization,
industrialization, and demographic
pressure have led farmers to use
their marginal land for increased
rice production to meet their
Nguyen Thi Lang, Nguyen van Hieu, Nguyen Thi Ngoc Huong, Bui Chi Buu, and Yoichiri Kato
The event was the first of its kind, in
which the government is focusing
efforts on suboptimal environments
--- a truly encouraging development
as we see here national governments
fostering the scaling up of technological
innovation catalyzed by current
partnerships. Additionally, a major
consultation-workshop on technology
transfer was held in Vietnam in
November, attracting 59 participants
from different organizations under
the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural
Development (MARD). Participants
identified appropriate practices to be
promoted in the uplands in northern
and central Vietnam, among which was
a model for community-based seeds
production that addresses the issue
of seed security in marginal uplands.
Involvement of the private sector was
also highly encouraged in technology
transfer approaches.
Besides capacity development,
technology generation, and fostering
partnerships, we never miss the chance
to profile both our farmers and scientists
in CURE Matters. Their individual
contributions and success stories show
the personal side of the people behind
the work.
Now in its 15th
year, CURE is unrelenting
in its mission of contributing to the
improvement of food security and
reduction of poverty by developing and
disseminating technologies that bring
economic, social, and environmental
benefits to low-income rice farmers and
consumers. Our commitment of valuing
partnership, multidisciplinary research
teamwork, the farmer-participatory
approach, and scientific excellence is
apparent in what we do, as you will also
discern in the stories we feature in this
issue.
In Brief continued

CUREMatters ▌Vol.6 No.1|May2016 3
family’s needs. With this, acid soils,
tidal land, and forest land have
been reclaimed and brought under
cultivation, thereby limiting crop
yield potential. In intensive irrigated
rice-farming systems, major soil
problems have included soil-mining
effects and soil pollution.
Fertility change is also a constraint.
For instance, modern rice varieties
exhaust soil fertility more rapidly
than traditional varieties. Modern
rice crops under intensive cropping
(about 6 t/ha) remove from soils
high amount of macro (NPK) and
micro (Ca, Mg, S, Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu,
B, and Mo) elements. Farmers usually
compensate for these nutritional
losses, especially macro-elements,
with chemical fertilizers while
neglecting some essential micro-
elements. In the long run, the micro-
elements become deficient and cause
an imbalance in soil nutrition, an
increased demand for phosphorus
and potassium, and nitrogen
inefficiency—ultimately affecting
yield.
It is within this context that
scientists from the Cuu Long Delta
Rice Research Institute, Institute of
Agricultural Sciences for Southern
Vietnam, and International Rice
Research Institute are breeding rice
varieties with submergence tolerance
(ST) and stagnant flooding (SF)
tolerance. Fourteen submergence-
tolerant and high-yielding genotypes
along with two standard checks plus
a farmers’ variety were evaluated
in a trial under naturally occurring
submerged conditions.
Different traits were assessed (crop
duration, plant height, number of
filled grains per panicle, percentage
sterility, and other quality traits
as well as submergence tolerance).
Lines that are early maturing
(90‒110 days), semi-dwarf (90 to
110 cm), with a medium number of
panicles per hill (7 to 15), and with
a high number of grains per panicle
(77 to 199) are selected for further
testing in the rice-rice cropping
pattern when their submergence
tolerance is high (survival after 20 to
25 days of submergence with 0.8 to
1 m water depth) and when duration
reaches 98 days, similar to IR42. The
experiment suggested that the lines
IR64-Sub1 and Pana were suitable
for submergence.
On-station evaluation of the
genotypes under controlled medium
stagnant flooding was conducted.
The 14 genotypes were evaluated
along with the standard check
variety, IR64-Sub1. They were
grown at the Cuu Long Delta Rice
Research Institute for screening
against natural medium stagnant
floods.
To evaluate performance stability,
the 14 indica rice varieties were
tested in different locations during
the wet and dry seasons of 2014-15,
using a randomized block design
with three replications in each case.
The experiment was conducted in
the provinces of Bac Lieu, Can Tho,
Hau Giang, Dong Thap, Vinh Long,
and An Giang. The highest grain
yield across the six sites was obtained
from IR64-Sub 1 during the dry
season.
To reach poor farmers suffering from
salt tolerance and likely to suffer
losses in the future, a seed supply
and the conversion of additional
varieties to submergence-tolerant
ones had to be achieved urgently.
Seeds were provided, as follows, to
these provinces:
● OM 10252: An Giang (300 kg)
and Hau Giang (500 kg)
● OM 137: Hau Giang (400 kg)
and Can Tho (200 kg)
● OM 138: An Giang (300 kg) and
Can Tho (300 kg)
A training course for farmers and
technicians was conducted during
2014-15 with 330 farmers (252
males and 78 females) coming from
An Giang, Can Tho, Bac Lieu, and
Hau Giang provinces. In 2015,
two workshops were conducted
to discuss lessons and other useful
information generated from the
project. Rewards for local staff who
participated in the project were
also given.
TechnologyGenerationandValidation

The survey and evaluation done
by the Cuu Long Delta Rice
Research Institute brought about
the following: improvement of
75 lines/elite rice varieties (ready
for application for production);
national testing of three rice varieties
in two seasons; three rice variety
candidates for national testing;
and one rice variety candidate for
DUS testing. In addition, several
important characteristics were
analyzed. The stability of rice varieties
was also identified through the
analysis of genotype by environment
interactions.
These results are expected to
contribute to breeding improvement
of the gene pool and to increase
rice exports from the Mekong
Delta. This should help boost
Vietnam’s competitive advantage
in rice production in the region,
especially since these rice varieties are
considered good materials not only
for the Mekong Delta but also for rice
production programs in the central
and southern provinces. •
I
n Lao PDR, more than
860,000 hectares of land are
devoted to rice production,
of which 760,951 hectares
(88%) are composed of
rainfed lowland rice. However,
the rice industry experiences losses
because of frequent floods that
damage rice fields in the central
region (10–29%) and across the
country (8–21%). Floods usually
occur from late August to late
September.
Furthermore, the country is
prone to drought, which damages
and reduces yield from 10% to
50% in the central parts of the
country. Drought occurs at any
time during the growing season,
with early drought in June to July,
intermittent drought happening
from August to September, and late
drought in October.
Conquering floods and drought
with climate-smart rice
Phetmanyseng Xangsayasane

tolerant variety) are now being
produced at the Center.
Demonstrating flood-
tolerant varieties and best
management practices
A high-quality harvest of improved
rice varieties can only be fully
reached if they are planted using
best management practices. Thus,
rice varieties that can survive floods
were planted using best management
practices and highlighted in field
demonstration trials in eight villages
from four districts. These were
located in the provinces of Vientiane,
Bolikhamxai, Khammouan, and
Savannakhet.
Fifty-five farmers participated in
the demonstration trials for them to
observe and compare the differences
These chronic problems of floods and
droughts have prompted partners
of CURE led by Lao’s Agriculture
Research Center (ARC) to showcase
the use of submergence- and drought-
tolerant rice varieties grown using
best management practices to
farmers. The research team aimed
to promote these improved varieties
to increase rice productivity in the
flood-prone areas.
Identifying rice varieties that
can withstand floods and
droughts
During the 2015 wet season, 22 new
aromatic rice varieties with traits
to endure flood and drought were
planted in a field trial at ARC. On the
other hand, 19 aromatic, drought-,
and flood-tolerant rice varieties were
tested at the Xebangfai Agriculture
Research and Development Center
(XBFC).
Results from ARC showed that grain
yield of the new aromatic, flood-, and
drought-tolerant varieties ranged
from 3.6 t/ha to 4.5 t/ha. Nine
varieties outyielded the check variety,
of which six produced 4.3–4.5 t/ha.
Four new varieties with good eating
quality were then produced in the
2015-16 dry season, and their seeds
will be provided to farmers to test in
the 2016 wet season.
Meanwhile, the varieties tested at
XBFC yielded from 2 t/ha to 3.6 t/
ha. Three aromatic varieties had
higher yield than two commercial
check varieties, although the
differences were not significant. The
seeds of four chosen varieties (three
aromatic and one flood- and drought-

in the varieties and familiarize
themselves with applying best
management practices.
The grain yield of all the tested
improved varieties was higher than
that of the farmers’ local varieties.
At all eight sites, farmers who used
certified seed had a 2–79% increase
in yield.
The increase in yield varied
depending on the conditions in
the fields. For example, the yield
gap was high between XBF1, a
flood-tolerant variety, and local
farmers’ varieties in Nakua Nok
Village because the rice field was
completely flooded for 7 days. Thus,
the yield of the farmers’ varieties was
much lower than that of XBF1. In
addition, the farmers in this village
did not undergo any training on rice
seed production, so the seeds that
they used for rice production were
of poor quality.
On the contrary, the yield gap was
small between the flood-tolerant
variety and local farmers’ varieties
at sites where farmers were able to
attend training courses on rice seed
production provided by government
agencies and international
and national nongovernment
organizations (NGOs).
Multiplying seeds
for farmers
Rice seed production in Lao PDR
can be classified into formal and
informal seed production systems.
The formal seed production
system starts from breeder seed
to foundation seed, to registered
seed, and, finally, certified seed.
Breeder and foundation seeds are
produced by ARC and the National
Agriculture Forestry and Research
Institute, while certified seed is
produced by state centers, private
seed companies, and farmer seed
groups. However, certified seed
produced by these three groups
covers only 12% of the total amount
of seed needed for rice production in
the country (51,807 tons). Certified
seeds are usually sold to farmers’
groups that produce paddy for rice
millers’ associations to process and
export.
On the other hand, in the informal
seed production system, good
seed is produced by farmers who
have been trained by international
research institutes and NGOs, under
the supervision of Lao’s Ministry
of Agriculture and Forestry. This
approach provides 19% of the
country’s required seed.
In the informal system, farmers can
also produce seeds by themselves
using their own knowledge and
techniques, which accounts for 69%
of the country’s required amount of
rice seeds.
These two types of seed provide
paddy for the local market and food
security for the country. However,
seeds produced by farmers are
usually of low quality and do not
meet standards. Furthermore,
farmers’ seeds are not of uniform
quality, so the quality of paddy is
poor, which in turn leads to low
milling and eating quality.
The Lao CURE team promotes
climate-smart rice varieties for
farmers to produce in unfavorable
rice environments such as flood-
prone plains. In the 2015 wet
season, breeder and foundation
seeds of three flood-tolerant varieties
(XBF1, HXBF2, and HXFB3) were
produced by ARC and XBFC. These
varieties are now being promoted to
farmers.

XBFC produced 1,000 kilograms
each of registered seeds of varieties
XBF1 and XBF2, which were then
sold to a farmer seed production
group for it to produce certified seeds.
The seed production group then
produced and sold 6,000 kilograms
of the certified XBF2 seed to farmers
and a private company to produce
paddy in the 2015-16 dry season.
Unfortunately, low-quality farmer-
produced seeds still provide the
majority of the total seed needed
by the country for rice production.
Therefore, training on proper rice
seed production is crucial. More Lao
farmers should be able to produce
good quality seed to increase rice
production and ensure food security.
To boost the quality of rice for export
in the regional and international
market, the Lao CURE team believes
that all components should work
together harmoniously. In their
proposed scheme, research centers will
produce breeder and foundation seeds
while farmer seed groups will focus
on certified seed production. Farmers’
associations will then produce paddy
using certified seed and rice millers
will need to develop standards for
buying paddy from certified seed.
In this scheme, it is crucial that the
government support all the actors.
In the meantime, CURE and its Lao
partners continue to develop rice
varieties that can withstand flood
and drought, and produce top-
quality seeds for farmers, to be able to
increase rice production and improve
livelihoods in the flood-prone
plains. •

L
ao PDR may have
reached rice self-
sufficiency nationally,
yet, at the regional level,
major rice shortage areas
still exist in the north. Furthermore,
low-input/low-output rice-farming
households, which include the
majority of the farming households,
find difficulty in increasing their
income because of the increasing cost
of rice production.
Thus, rice researchers continue to
work hard to overcome various
challenges and improve rice
production in their country.
These include continuous research
to improve rice varieties, seed
multiplication, and capacity building.
Lao farmers join field trials for better
varieties and yields
Testing nonglutinous
cultivars
Researchers at the Upland
Agriculture Research Center
(UAReC) conducted trials on
nonglutinous rice cultivars in
the upland paddy fields of three
provinces in the 2015 wet season.
These trials aimed to compare the
grain yield of the nonglutinous
cultivars with that of local varieties,
demonstrate the growth of some
promising cultivars in farmers’ fields,
and identify farmers’ preferred rice
crop characteristics.
Ten farmers from the provinces of
Luang Prabang, Oudomxay, and
Luang Namtha participated in the
trials.
Results showed that, statistically,
there were no significant differences
in grain yield between the
nonglutinous cultivars (IR82589-
B-B-149-4 and IR82635-B-B-59-2)
and the local glutinous cultivar. Grain
yield ranged from 3.3 t/ha to
3.5 t/ha.
When compared with the local
glutinous variety, the farmer
participants said that the two
nonglutinous cultivars were 83%
better. All 10 farmers said that
they would continue planting the
glutinous variety in the next planting
season because of its proven high
Somvang Chanthamaly and Khamla Phanthaboun

yield, good milling and eating quality,
and big grains. However, this local
variety was also susceptible to gall
midge infestation.
On the other hand, 33% of the
farmers said that they would plant
IR82589-B-B-149-4, one of the
nonglutinous varieties, in the next
planting season, because it is an early-
maturing variety that produces full
grains. However, the variety has its
negative traits of producing short
panicles, small grains, and few tillers.
Meanwhile, more farmers (43%)
liked the other variety (IR82635-
B-B-59-2) and selected it as a crop for
the next season. Although this variety
is nonglutinous and has small grains,
it has strong stems and produces
many seeds, traits the farmers
preferred.
Screening for lines resistant
to gall midge
Rice production in the lowland rice
fields of Lao PDR has become self-
sufficient, although in some seasons
farmers still face problems such as
drought and insect damage, such as
that caused by gall midge.
Asian rice gall midge is found
in irrigated or rainfed wetland
environments during the tillering
stage of the rice crop. In some areas,
such as Sri Lanka and parts of India,
gall midge can cause significant yield
losses of 30–40%.
Researchers from UAReC in Luang
Prabang and the Agriculture and
Forestry Research Center stations
in Luang Namtha and Oudomxay
reported that gall midge damage had
reached 30–35%, causing low yield
and a significant decrease in farmers’
income. These consequences thus
prompted researchers from these
centers to screen for lines in varieties
that can resist gall midge.
Field trials were carried out in
Luang Prabang, Oudomxay, and
Luang Namtha. Varieties used were
the seven populations of F9
seeds
and two parent varieties, Meuang
Nga and TDK 7. Meuang Nga is
a local rice variety that is resistant
to gall midge, but is unfortunately
photoperiod sensitive, and thus can
be planted only once a year. TDK 7,
on the other hand, is an improved
high-yielding rice variety that
adapts well in acid soil, especially in
drought-prone areas, has good seed
quality and good taste, but has a low
resistance to gall midge.
Results of the trials revealed that no
gall midge infestations occurred at all
sites. Furthermore, grain yield ranged
from 3.4 t/ha to 5.8 t/ha.
Supplying high-quality
seeds to farmers
Growing rice in Lao PDR is still
considered as the single most
important economic activity in
the country, accounting for 39% of
agricultural gross domestic product.
As such, a reliable supply of pure,
uniform seeds is essential for rice
farmers to continue producing high-
quality rice.
Seeds of upland rice varieties Nok,
Makhinsoung, Laboun, and None
were multiplied at UAReC and on
10.5 ha of farmers’ fields in the 2015
wet season. Thirty farmers from Pak
Ou and Xieng Ngeun districts, Luang
Prabang, provided plots in their fields
for seed multiplication. UAReC
researchers provided them with seed
and management recommendations,
but allowed them to use their own
management practices. When harvest
time came, researchers bought the seeds
produced from the farmers’ plots.
A total of 18.6 tons of seed were
harvested (Laboun 7.6 tons,
Makhinsoung 2.3 tons, Nok 5.6 tons,
and None 3 tons) with an average grain
yield of 1.57–1.91 t/ha. These seeds
were then distributed to farmers in
Luang Prabang Province, government
institutions, and nongovernment
organizations in 2015.
Government research centers such
as UAReC and the Agriculture and
Forestry Research Center work
tirelessly to develop improved rice
varieties and high-quality seeds
that will benefit Lao farmers. The
International Rice Research Institute
through CURE continue to aid in this
mission, to ultimately help translate
the rice surpluses at the national level
into increasing income for rice farm
households. •
With reports from Invanh Kinnaly and Seua
Thipphalangsy

A
ccording to statistics,
27% of the Philippines’
physical area is rainfed,
with about 26% of the
total rice production
coming from these areas. However,
yields in the rainfed areas are still
unstable, unlike irrigated rice
yields, which have been increasing
consistently over the past years. Thus,
improving rice harvests in the rainfed
areas is crucial to boosting the
country’s total rice production.
The Philippine Rice Research
Institute (PhilRice) and IRRI
have been working together to
help mitigate problems in rainfed
areas by developing and promoting
drought-tolerant rice varieties and
best management practices. Through
the CURE second phase project,
various activities are being conducted
and approaches used to enhance the
validation, testing, wider promotion,
and adoption of gender-sensitive
technologies in rainfed areas. CURE
also aims to develop effective impact
pathways as a model for government
and international programs on food
crops to follow.
The project partnered with
farmer groups in the provinces of
Pangasinan, Tarlac, and Nueva Ecija;
local government units; machine
fabricators; and state universities and
colleges, which could become local
champions in promoting drought-
tolerant varieties. These farmer
groups also benefited from having
access to a wider range of resources
and technical expertise.
Developing best rice varieties and management
practices for Philippine rainfed areas
Partnership with farmer-groups and Local Government
Units in Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, and Pangasinan
Discussion of the
project concept notes
with Dr. Paz Mones,
Regional Technical
Director of DA-RFO1,
San Fernando La
Union regarding
dissemination of sahod
ulan varieties.
Collaborators gathered
at PhilRice CES on
Dec 16-17, 2015 to
discuss the design,
development, and
testing of a multi-
purpose seeder
Participatory Varietal Selection (PVS) Activity
Participants of the PVS in Malacampa, Camiling, Tarlac conducting field evaluation of the different
sahod ulan varieties to determine their most preferred variety.
Aurora Corales and Yoichiro Kato

Farmers test new rice
varieties
In 2010, the National Seed Industry
Council approved the release
of several drought-tolerant rice
varieties. These varieties are expected
to help increase rice productivity in
rainfed lowland areas.
An effective approach in creating
awareness and promoting the
adoption of new varieties is by
encouraging farmers to test the
varieties themselves in their own
rice fields. Farmers can test the crop
varieties’ yield and yield stability
across seasons.
Thus, in the 2015 wet season,
selected farmers in Tarlac and
Pangasinan participated in testing
new drought-tolerant varieties with
support from CURE.
Four farmers (one female and three
males) received 2 to 10 kilograms
of seeds, with a total of 176 kg
distributed. These drought-tolerant
seeds included NSIC Rc192, 276,
280, 282, and 288, and were planted
on more than 4 hectares of rice area.
When the harvest season arrived,
a farmers’ field day and forum was
held to showcase the drought-
tolerant varieties. Fifty farmers
evaluated the varieties, and NSIC
Rc282 emerged as the most
preferred. NSIC Rc282, according
to the farmer-evaluators, had more
tillers, had long panicles, showed
tolerance of drought, and had less
grain shattering. On the other hand,
farmers preferred NSIC Rc192
because it was resistant to lodging,
and NSIC Rc276 because of its
number and length of grains.
These seedbeds are
planted with sahod ulan
varieties. Left picture is
NSIC Rc276 in a seedbed
owned by Mr. Romy
Madriaga of Balungao,
Pangasinan. Picture from
the right is PSB Rc10
of Mr. Wilson Gardoce
located in Victoria, Tarlac.
These seedlings
were harvested in a
seedbed and now ready
for transplanting-
Malacampa, Camiling,
Tarlac
PSB Rc10
NSIC Rc288
Seed Distribution
Ester Robinos
of Mabilang,
Paniqui and
Gerry Mamerga
of Malacampa,
Paniqui, Tarlac
received the
sahod ulan seeds
namely: NSIC
Rc192, 276, 280
and 282

Mr. Gerry
Mamerga
of Brgy.
Malacampa,
Camiling,
Tarlac as he
posed with his
NSIC Rc276,
this variety
obtained
the highest
yield out of
four varieties
planted in the
area
Ms. Ester
Robinos of
Paniqui, Tarlac
standing beside
the top 2
varieties which
obtained the
highest yield out
of four varieties
planted.
Rice S&T Update
A total of 32
participants
composed
of AEWs and
farmer-leaders
from the
municipalities
in Nueva Ecija
(Bongabon,
Nampicuan,
Cuyapo, Gapan)
and Tarlac
(Ramos, Gerona,
Camiling,
Paniqui)
attended the
activity.
In terms of overall yield
performance, Tarlac farmers
harvested 4.19 t/ha, while
Pangasinan farmers obtained an
average yield of 4.04 t/ha. NSIC
Rc276 yielded 4.76 t/ha on average,
while NSIC Rc282 and 280 both
had an average yield of 4.64 t/ha.
During the 2016 dry season, 810 kg
of seeds were distributed to farmers
to multiply in preparation for
the 2016 wet season. The project
devised a strategy in which farmer-
growers would return twice the
amount of seeds for every kilogram
that they received. In this way, the
process of multiplying, distributing,
and exchanging drought-tolerant
seeds among farmers would speed
up, especially since these varieties are
not yet popular among seed growers.
As of press time, 27 farmer-
cooperators covering more than
11 hectares in three provinces have
participated in the dry season, and
harvesting is ongoing.
Partners enhance
knowledge and skills on rice
science and technology
Farmer-leaders and agricultural
extension workers (AEWs) from
Region 3 participated in a Rice S&T
update to primarily increase their
knowledge on drought-tolerant
rice varieties ready for commercial
release and best management
practices. The event also aimed to
form partnerships with AEWs from
local government units (LGUs) to
expand CURE’s coverage in Region
3 for the 2016 wet season.
Participants came from drought-
prone municipalities such as
NSIC Rc192 or commonly called as
Sahod-ulan 1-Camiling, Tarlac

Bongabon, Gapan, Cuyapo
Nampicuan, Paniqui, Gerona,
Ramos, and Camiling. The activity
was held at the PhilRice Central
Experiment Station in Nueva Ecija
in March 2015.
The topics discussed were climate
change and agriculture, varieties
adapted to the drought ecosystem,
best management practices in
rainfed ecosystems, and innovations
in crop establishment using
direct-seeding and a mechanical
transplanter. The participants
discussed possible collaboration
in promoting the technologies for
rainfed areas after the lectures.
Mr. Mamerga of Camiling, Tarlac obtained
yields for NSIC Rc280 and NSIC Rc282 of 3.79
and 3.39 t/ha respectively.
Sahod ulan 1
and sahod
ulan 10 at
near
harvesting
planted by
Mr. Romy
Madriaga of
Balungao,
Pangasinan
Mr. Gerry Mamerga, our farmer cooperator in
Camiling, Tarlac where the farmers’field day
and forum was conducted.
A farmers’ field day and forum in
Malacampa, Camiling, Tarlac, was
also conducted to showcase the
drought-adaptive technologies. More
than 200 CURE-IRRI partners
attended, composed of farmers,
AEWs, and representatives from
various partner agencies such as the
LGUs of Tarlac Province.
CURE Philippine partners, led
by PhilRice, continue to strive to
forge partnerships with LGUs and
farmer groups, and test and promote
new improved varieties and best
management practices. Indeed,
this kind of dedication and hard
work will pay off in the future, to
ultimately benefit rainfed rice farmers
and the country’s rice production. •
M
yanmar has a
predominantly
agricultural
economy based on
rice production,
with 32% of the total rice area
composed of unfavorable lowland
areas. Salinity-affected rice-
farming areas account for 2% of
these unfavorable areas—almost
110,000 hectares—spread across
different states and regions. The
largest salinity-affected area is the
Ayeyarwaddy Delta (59,818 ha),
followed by Rakhine (28,600 ha),
Taintharyi (7,573 ha), Yangon
(7,346 ha), Mon (5,346 ha), and
Mandalay (190 ha).
Since 2011, the International Rice
Research Institute (IRRI), through
Myanmar partners produce
high-yielding salinity-
tolerant rice varieties
the Consortium for Unfavorable
Rice Environments (CURE), has
been working with Myanmar’s
Department of Agricultural
Research (DAR) to develop suitable
rice varieties for these challenging
areas. Their fruitful collaboration
has resulted in successfully
developing and distributing to
farmers seeds of three salinity-
tolerant varieties—Sangnakhan Sin
Thwe Latt, Pyi Myanmar Sein, and
Shwe Asean.
Still, a team of researchers from
IRRI and DAR continues to
work hand in hand to identify
new salinity-tolerant varieties
and enhance rice production in
the salinity-affected rice areas of
Myanmar.
Tin Tin Myint

Farmers choose their
preferred varieties
Sixty farmers participated in
evaluating new salinity-tolerant
rice varieties in a farmer’s field in
Meikhtilar District, Mandalay, in
December 2015. Of the participants,
43 were males and 17 were females.
The participatory selection of
varieties aimed to identify new
high-yielding varieties that could
adapt to the conditions in Mandalay,
and to determine the role gender
plays in choosing varieties. The
activity was also conducted for the
farmers themselves to select the
best varieties, and become aware
of the sustainable adoption of
improved varieties in stress-prone
environments.
All the nine tested varieties
outyielded the check varieties,
except for one variety, 11T 265.
Among the tested varieties, IR11T
159 had the highest yield (5.1 t/
ha), followed by Salinas 15 (4.6 t/
ha) and IR77674-2B and IR11T256
(4.5 t/ha each).
However, the farmers’ first choice
was Salinas 15, followed by IR11T
159 and then IR77674-2B.
The two highest-yielding varieties
(IR11T 159 and Salinas 15) were
more preferred by men than by
women because these varieties
produced more tillers and more
spikelets per panicle, and had good
plant height and higher grain yield.
On the contrary, women liked
IR77674-2B because of its long
grains and higher yield.
Elite varieties perform well
in different locations
One of the strategies used by CURE
to promote cropping systems
innovations and farmer-preferred
varieties is demonstration activities
with the help of local extension
agents.
Six identified elite or farmer-
preferred varieties were showcased
through demonstration trials held in
Yezin (with normal soil conditions),
Myaung Mya (with salinity-affected
soils), and Zalote and Kyaukse (with
basic soil conditions) in June 2015.
All tested varieties had 37.6–79.2%
higher average yields than check
variety Pokkali. Among the varieties,
IR10 T102 had the highest average
yield (5 t/ha), followed by IR10
T105 (4.7 t/ha) and Pyi Myanmar
Sein (4.37 t/ha). Furthermore, these
varieties not only had higher yield
but also adapted better than the
other varieties in all locations.
IR10 T102 had the highest yield
on Yezin and Zalote research farms,
which had normal and basic soil
conditions, respectively, and was
79% superior to Pokkali.
Newly released salinity-
tolerant variety reigns
supreme
A demonstration trial was held
in farmer U Chit Hlaing’s own
rice field in Meikhtilar District,
Mandalay, to compare Pyi Myanmar
Sein, a newly released salinity-
tolerant variety, with four farmer-
preferred varieties.
The four farmer-preferred varieties
included Manawthukha (widely
grown variety), Nga Sein (local
farmer variety), VT 035 (currently
existing variety), and Shwe Pyi Htay
(early-maturing and high-yielding
variety).
Among the five tested varieties, Pyi
Myanmar Sein performed best and
produced the highest yield (4.3 t/
ha). The farmer-preferred varieties
had little to no yield. Many farmers
from the village came to see the
field demonstration and, upon
seeing the successful results, asked U
Chit Hlaing to share Pyi Myanmar
Sein seeds for them to plant in the
2016 wet season. The farmers liked
the new variety because of its tall
height, higher yield, early maturity,
and survival even in drought-prone
conditions.
Because of the success of the
demonstration trials, farmer U Chit
Hlaing felt proud of and thankful
for the strong partnership between
CURE and DAR.
CURE-DAR team plans ahead
The team believes that, by doing
participatory varietal selection
and seed multiplication each year,
information on new elite varieties
will be shared quickly with farmers,
and their capacity will be developed.
With the progress that they have
achieved, the team plans to hold
more participatory trials for farmers
as well as a varietal improvement
program to develop more salt-
tolerant rice varieties.
The team works tirelessly to develop
and distribute new and improved
rice varieties that will help Myanmar
farmers in salinity-affected areas
raise rice yields and quality, even in
unfavorable conditions. •

T
he Mekong Delta
region serves as the
“food basket” of
Vietnam. It provides
more than 80% of the
total rice exports—an important
contribution to food security across
the region. With more than 5
million tons of rice being exported
annually, farmers’ living standards
have also improved considerably.
During March-April, when water
flow of the Mekong River is low, sea
water penetrates inland up to 40‒50
kilometers through the main estuary.
In the Mekong Delta, 750,000
hectares are characterized by coastal
salinity. The coastal area is often
affected by salt intrusion during the
dry season, which is also a difficult
time to obtain water supply from
the Mekong river. According to the
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural
Development (MARD), of 650,000
ha of cultivated rice, 100,000 ha risk
being hit by salt intrusion during the
dry season. Damage to rice growth
and development likewise happens
during the beginning and end of the
rainy season, for both high-yielding
and rainfed rice. Meager rain, slow
soil desalination (removal of salt),
and salt intrusion from the river’s
mouth occur during such periods.
To illustrate, in 2015, because of
the drought in TraVinh Province,
the sowing date for the rainy season
was delayed for 2,100 ha of rice
cultivation.
Managing salt-affected soils through proper
fertilizer treatment in the Mekong Delta
Effects of salinity
on rice plants
Rice is more sensitive to salinity
during seedling, panicle initiation,
and flowering stages, leading to
reduced crop yield surpassing
50%1
(Zeng and Shannon 2000).
Salinity reduces plant growth
through osmotic effects and reduces
water uptake. Symptoms and
manifestations of salinity include
white, stunted leaf tips and patchy
growth in the field. In addition,
salinity causes a lower germination
rate, decreased plant height
and tillering, poor root growth,
increased spikelet sterility, decreased
1,000-grain weight, and decreased
total protein content in grain due to
excess sodium uptake.
Fertilizers and rice
productivity
Fertilizers greatly contribute
to increased rice yield and are
responsible for more than 40% of
the total yield increase. However,
resource-poor farmers often do not
have access to fertilizers because
of constant financial difficulties
regarding increasing input. Hence,
a study was needed to determine
the proper nutrient rate for each
rice cultivar to achieve high
fertilizer-use efficiency. The study
envisions contributing to improving
farmers’ living standards as well as
maintaining a sustainable soil-water
1
As EC = 6.65 dS/m.
environment in drought- and salt-
affected regions.
The soil inTraVinh Province
Intensive rice cultivation soils in
TraVinh Province are characterized
by the following limiting factors:
acidity, intrusion of saline seawater,
phosphorus and potassium
deficiency, poor organic matter,
low capacity in holding nutrients,
and iron and aluminum toxicity.
Based on an earlier soil survey, the
composition of the rice soil was
mainly clay; it occupied 30,268 ha,
which is equivalent to 25.7% of the
total soil in TraVinh, concentrated
in the areas CauKe, Tieu Can, Chau
Thanh, Tra Cu, CauNgang, and
Duyen Hai, which had a soil pH of
5‒6 and high water-holding capacity.
Two promising rice varieties (TLR
801 and 70L) at different fertilizer
rates at the drought- and salinity-
affected site of Tra Cu A Village,
Kim Son Commune, Tra Cu
District, TraVinh Province, were
tested to determine the suitable
fertilizer rate for each variety.
The fertilizer source consisted of
the following: urea CO (NH2
)2
,
ordinary superphosphate (15%
P2
O5
), and muriate of potash with
60% K2
O.
Researchers studied the interactions
between fertilizer and variety
treatments on (1) duration, (2) plant
height, (3) number of panicles,
(4) number of filled spikelets per
panicle, (5) unfilled spikelets, (6)
Thac Thi Ngoc Anh, Nguyen Thi Lang,
Yoichiro Kato

thousand-grain weight, (7) grain
yield, and (8) grain yield response to
fertilizer treatment.
Fertilizer treatment
and higher yields
Results indicated that the fertilizer
treatment with a higher number of
panicles/m2
and number of filled
spikelets per panicle as well as taller
plant height could bring about good
yield. Reasonably adjusting nitrogen
O
n 9-10 November
2015, a consultation-
workshop on
technology transfer
for rice in unfavorable
upland environments of northern
and central Vietnam was held. The
workshop, jointly coordinated
by the Vietnam Academy for
Agricultural Sciences (VAAS),
Ministry of Agricultural for Rural
Development (MARD), and
CURE project, aimed to identify
best management practices and
innovations that are now ready
for dissemination and the impact
pathway through which these can
be disseminated to farmers. The
specific objectives of the workshop
were to review and identify technical
innovations of value and potential
contributions in examining issues
for sustainable production of
rice, with potential for up- and
Consultation-workshop on technology
transfer for rice in unfavorable upland
environments of northern and central
Vietnam
(N), phosphorus (P), and potassium
(K) could increase the number of
filled spikelets and panicle number/
m2
, thereby contributing more
significantly to grain yield, especially
for variety TLR 801.
Among the fertilizer treatments,
the application of 80 kg N-50 kg
P2
O5
-40 kg K2
O/ha obtained the
highest grain yield and is the most
economically efficient. TLR 801 can
yield 3,361 kg/ha and 70L can reach
2,576 kg/ha.
Researchers 'nonetheless' advise
paying attention to water
management during young seedling
stage and ensuring balanced
application of N-P-K (and at
the right time). Farmers should
likewise anticipate that this fertilizer
treatment can be challenged by pest
attacks, such as by rice caseworms
(between seedling and tillering
stages) and blast/bacterial leaf blight
(between panicle initiation and
flowering stages). •
BuildingCapacityforInnovation
Luu Ngoc Quyen

out-scaling in the unfavorable
upland environments in northern
and central Vietnam; identify
strategies for successful promotion
of technologies through discussions
and consultation among participants
representing a wide range of
stakeholders (central government
decision-makers, local government
decision-makers, donors, researchers,
extension officers, NGOs, and
international experts); and identify
national/regional/provincial
programs for up-scaling and out-
scaling the innovations.
The event attracted 59 participants
from different organizations under
the Ministry of Agriculture and
Rural Development (MARD) and
IRRI. It was co-organized by Dr.
Digna Manzanilla, coordinator of
the Consortium for Unfavorable
Rice Environments/IRRI. It was also
attended by Dr. Casiana Vera Cruz,
working group leader of CURE; Dr.
Pham Dong Quang, deputy director
of the Department of Science and
Technology and Environment;
and Dr. Nguyen Van Tuat, vice
president of the Vietnam Academy
of Agricultural Sciences (VAAS).
Dr. Robert Zeigler, IRRI Director
General, served as key speaker of
the meeting. Other attendees were
the deputy director general of the
Science Institute under VAAS as
well as the director, leaders, and
consultants of the International
Fund for Agricultural Development
(IFAD) in Cao Bang, Tuyen
Quang, and Bac Kan provinces, and
representatives from Climate-Smart
Villages.
The following topics were shared
during the consultation: CURE
and partnerships in developing
and disseminating technologies
in upland areas in Southeast Asia;
Overview of the program in upland
rice production in Southeast Asia:
selected cases; Overview of upland
rice production in northern and
central Vietnam; Rice breeding for
unfavorable upland environments;
Current status and challenges in
production and supply of rice
seed; Restoration of local varieties
as an option for upland rice: a
model of community-based seed
production and supply system in
Yen Bai Province; Priority technical
innovations for rice in the uplands
and barriers to their adoption;
Policies in rice seed production and
distribution in the uplands, and the
need for developing community-
based seed systems.
Participants were divided
into groups to discuss priority
interventions to promote the
adoption of technical innovations
for upland rice in the central
and northern uplands; priority
interventions to improve the quality
of rice seeds used in the central and
northern uplands; interventions for
“farm-seeds” to out-scale the model
of community-based seed groups/
cooperatives; and the priority model
to be out-scaled in each province
and mechanisms needed.
From the participants’ discussions,
the following practices were
identified for promotion in the
uplands in northern and central
Vietnam:

For less favorable environments
(valleys, lowlands in the uplands,
terraces), including irrigated and
“regulated” rainfed: integrated pest
management (IPM), integrated crop
management (ICM), deep fertilizer
placement, alternate wetting and
drying irrigation
For unfavorable environments
(slopes/upland rice): integrated
pest management, integrated crop
management, and conservation
agriculture including mulch,
minimum tillage, intercropping, and
rotation.
Farm-seed system: Dissemination
of good and new pure-line rice
varieties; restoration of local
varieties, which will help increase
farmers’ income and resilience to
climate change; and adoption of
sustainable practices, in particular
ICM (because, when farmers
produce quality seeds, they have to
adopt ICM and IPM).
During the discussions, participants
pointed out some challenges
and barriers in the adoption of
innovation technologies:
● Communication and promotion
efforts for those techniques are
still limited.
● Farmers are reluctant to believe
in the effectiveness of new
techniques.
● Financial limits exist to work
for validating, testing, and
promoting adoption.
● The irrigation system in many
areas is not well developed and
can’t meet the requirements for
the adoption of new techniques,
for example, for water-saving
irrigation.
● Rice production area is scattered,
resulting in several difficulties in
monitoring and evaluation.
● The scale for rice production of
each household and plots is small,
so the impact per plot or per
household may not be big enough
to encourage farmers to consider
a change.
● Different education levels, ages,
and personal preferences are also
factors that limit communication.
● Many households are still poor
and can’t meet the requirement
for some additional investment
when adopting new practices.
● Farmers are just not ready to
change.
● The rice price in the market is not
stable and this also influences the
adoption of new techniques.
● A high-quality seed source in
many locations for many varieties
is still lacking and access is poor.
● Poor links to markets and links
between stakeholders exist.
● Benefit-sharing between value-
chain members is not fair.
● Difficulties in mechanization
cause a high price and low
competitiveness of products.
● Logos and trademarks of
Vietnamese rice products are
lacking.
● Improper adoption (adoption of
only some parts of the technical
packages) also causes poor
impacts of the practices and this
causes reluctance of farmers to
adopt.
● Farm-seeds (often not quality-
controlled) occupy a large ratio
● Seeds provided by local seed
stores/traders also have uncertain
quality.
To overcome the challenges and
barriers that limit new technologies
and innovation adoption, the
participants made suggestions and
recommendations, as follows:
● Raising awareness/capacity of
farmers: This will require good
communication and extension
strategies and an approach that
needs to involve the following:
— Activities for awareness-
raising for extension staff
(community-based).
— Demonstration of practices.
— Training of farmers and
local staff (using farmer field
schools).
— Developing and distributing
knowledge management
materials suitable to different
target groups (printed
materials, videos, leaflets,
radio, television, local radio).
— Developing links to other
projects and activities.
— Developing and disseminating
appropriate varieties with
good quality.
— Developing farmer
organizations (e.g., interest
groups).
— Facilitating farmers’ access to
inputs and credit.
— Improving infrastructure (e.g.,

irrigation systems).
— Developing and adopting
supportive policies and
mechanisms, especially to
increase income and other
support for local extension
staff (community-based
extension staff). At present,
community-based extension
staff receive a very low salary
and, under the projects,
they also have very low
incentive; thus, after the
projects end, they cannot
continue to work to support
farmers in adopting technical
innovations.
— Developing links to markets.
— Raising farmers’ awareness of
the need to use quality seeds.
● To develop farm-seed systems, the
following are important:
— Developing farmers’
organizations.
— Providing capacity building
for farmers’ organizations.
— Developing and adopting
supportive policies on farm-
seed systems.
— Promoting the involvement
and support of local
authorities.
— Promoting the involvement
of the private sector with
suitable policies and building
capacity and awareness for
companies. Up to now, no
inputs have been spent for
building capacity for private
companies.
During the closing of the workshop,
Dr. Digna Manzanilla mentioned
that government policies and
programs that will support the
upscaling of technologies are very
critical in helping farmers. Also,
partnership and building network
of networks among different
stakeholders is very important as
this allows for sharing of resources
and capabilities to achieve common
goals.
According to Dr. Nguyen Van
Tuat, “I encourage values for
promoting adoption in the regions
for the sustainable development
of rice production. This involves
technologies such as ICM, IPM,
biomass recycling, and deep
fertilizer placement. However,
efforts are also required for
overcoming barriers to adoption.
The model of community-based
rice seed production and supply
developed in Dai Phac has been
recommended as a successful model
for scaling out and scaling up. I hope
that support from IRRI/CURE and
IFAD projects, other donors, as well
as the government ofVietnam will
always be available for up- and out-
scaling technological innovations
in developing rice farming in the
marginal upland communities. There
are also examples of good local policy
to support community-based seed
systems and the restoration of local
varieties.”
All these support of projects will
boost rice production in unfavorable
areas, aiming to contribute
significantly to adoption and the
restructuring of the rice sector in
Vietnam. •
N
ortheastern Thailand’s
paddy fields are the
largest area for rice
growing in Thailand,
but rice yield in this
area is very low compared with
that in other regions because of
constraints such as drought, salinity,
submergence, and low soil fertility.
One of the major constraints is soil
and water salinity, which causes
low rice yield. This problem has
increased year by year.
In 2013, the Nakhon Ratchasima
Rice Research Center established a
project to solve the problem of rice
Enabling poor rice farmers
to improve livelihood
and overcome poverty in
northeastern Thailand’s salt-
affected areas Duangjai Suriya-Arunroj
growing in salt-affected areas by
using improved rice cultivars and
technologies. The Rice Research
Center employed a participatory
approach in the project.
The research aimed to test the
rice cultivars and technologies in
farmers’ fields before disseminating
them to farmers in the area. But,
because the farmers had been
suffering from salinity in their rice
fields for a very long time and no
organization was paying serious
attention to the problem, they
formed a group and approached
the researchers, showing interest in

PVS at Khok prom village, Non Thai district,
Nakhon Ratchasima province
learning, but also in having a chance
to learn by themselves. Mr. Mana
Siang Suntia, a Smart1
farmer from
Nakhon Ratchasima Province and
chief of the farmers’ group in Khok
Prom Village, led and guided the
1
Smart farmers are groups of farmers
capable of efficient production and sus-
tainable management. They were trained
by the Rice Department and Rice Centers
and have an important role in farmer field
schools, serving as managers and lecturers.
Their activities include providing counsel-
ing, servicing, collecting information, and
reporting problems (regarding natural
disasters and outbreaks of rice pests).
farmers to observe the trial. Then,
in 2014, he contacted the project
again to participate in selecting rice
cultivars in the farmers’ fields. Under
the CURE, supported by IFAD,
Dr. Glenn Gregorio, former WG3
leader, encouraged the rice research
center to take part in the project to
solve the problems farmers faced.
From the beginning, therefore, the
research center has been involved
with the farmers in improving
salinity-tolerant rice cultivars and
testing technology.
The head of the farmer group
was invited to invite 40 farmer
participants to join the training; but,
with several farmers encountering
problems in the field, more than
70 farmers arrived to observe. The
salinity-tolerant rice cultivars,
which this group of farmers became
interested in, were UBN02123-
50R-B-3 (aromatic salinity-tolerant
and blast-resistant) and UBN02124-
RGD-MAS-90-2-5-5 (aromatic and
moderately salinity-tolerant). The
farmers have recently requested rice
cultivars to be grown in their own
saline paddy fields.

In 2015, IRRI scientist Dr. R.K.
Singh pushed for further expansion
of project areas affected by salinity.
Farmers grew rice in their own
fields (which were near the trial
areas). They used five rice cultivars:
UBN02123-50R-B-3, UBN02124-
RDG-MAS-192-5-5, UBN02124-
RGD-MAS-90-2-5-5, G45-2-67-
29-NRM-1, and KDML105. The
farmers followed the trial procedures
and collected data as was done
in the fields. After harvest, they
conducted preference analysis both
in the field and in the rice grain-
tasting activity. Finally, they selected
the rice cultivars that had high
yield, good performance, and good
eating quality as well as aroma. The
cultivars chosen were UBN02124-
RGD-MAS-90-2-5-5 and G45-2-
67-29-NRM-1.
The rice cultivars and adopted
technology from Khok Prom Village
were disseminated to Gong Pan
Village, Don Pan District in Udorn
Thani Province, for out-scaling. Don
Pan District Chief Mr. Somchai
Martsriklang and agricultural
extensionist in Kumphawapi
Mr. Somporn Nampila joined
the out-scaling training for the
dissemination of the salinity-tolerant
rice cultivars and technology for
improving rice growing in this
pioneer village of Udorn Thani
Province. Both villages expressed
appreciation for the training. At
the end of the training, five farmers
were provided with salinity-tolerant
rice cultivars to be tested in their
salinity-affected fields for the 2016
crop year.
The promising salinity-tolerant rice
cultivars found appropriate to grow
in salt-affected areas and preferred
by farmers will be promoted and
proposed to the Rice Department
Committee to be released as new
salt-tolerant varieties for up-scaling.
Seeds will be multiplied and
disseminated to farmers in areas
affected by soil and water salinity.
Farmers will test them in their paddy
fields and then select the proper
cultivars to help improve their rice
production and livelihood, and
finally overcome poverty. •
With Mr. Mana Siang Sunthia,
head of farmer group at
Non Tahi district, Nakhon
Ratchasima province

B
OGOR, Indonesia ‒
“No matter how many
varieties we develop, if
farmers do not plant
them, our efforts to
raise productivity in suboptimal rice
environments will have no meaning.”
This was the message of Dr. Hasil
Sembiring, director general
of food crops, Ministry of
Agriculture in Indonesia, during
a consolidation-workshop on
upscaling technological innovation
in suboptimal rice environments of
Indonesia, held 11 March.
The activity, the first ever held in
Indonesia, aimed to focus efforts
Indonesia to disseminate stress-tolerant
varieties and modern practices in less
favorable rice areas
on reaching out to poor farmers in
suboptimal environments. In the
past, the government had addressed
productivity mainly in irrigated rice
areas that comprise nearly 60% of
the country’s total rice production
area. Recently, the government has
directed its resources to meet its
target seed production for 2016-17
and it has included rainfed lowland
(27.7%), swampy (8.8%), and
upland (5.3%) areas.
Sembiring, a former director of the
Indonesian Center for Rice Research
(ICRR) and steering committee
member of the Consortium for
Unfavorable Rice Environments
(CURE), has been calling for
increased production to improve
the livelihood of farmers severely
affected by climatic variability. He
has strongly supported efforts to
develop climate-resilient varieties
and community seed banks.
The workshop, held at the
IPB International Convention
Center in Bogor, was organized
by the Directorate General of
Food Crops in cooperation with
ICRR and CURE. The purpose
was to speed up the delivery of
suitable seeds of newly released
stress-tolerant rice varieties and
the associated best management
practices specifically suited to
unfavorable environments in
Participants in the consolidation-workshop on
upscaling technological innovation in suboptimal
rice environments of Indonesia
Indrastuti Rumanti, Zulkifli Zaini and Digna Manzanilla

upland, swampy, rainfed, and
flood-prone areas. Scientists and
technical directorate staff involved
in unfavorable environment
research attended the workshop.
They came from ICRR, IWETRI,
ICATAD, the Assessment Institute
for Agricultural Technology (AIAT)
of eight provinces, IRRI, and the
Directorate of Food Crops.
“CURE’s role is to catalyze and
encourage national governments to
foster the scaling up of technological
innovation developed out of the
current partnerships,” said Dr. Digna
Manzanilla, CURE coordinator.
One workshop recommendation is
to further strengthen collaboration
among ICRR, the Indonesian
Swampland Agriculture Research
Institute (ISARI), and CURE to
develop best management practices.
Dr. Ali Jamil, director of ICRR (and
now promoted to director of the
Indonesian Center for Food Crops
Research and Development or
ICFORD), expressed his confidence
in the appropriateness and readiness
of technologies intended to
raise productivity in Indonesia’s
unfavorable environments.
These appropriate technologies
include varieties; soil, water, weed,
pest, and disease management;
fertilizer recommendations; and
postharvest practices. Also, a
demo for the Seed Multiplication
Program will be pursued through
“1,000 self-sufficient seed villages”
(or “Desa Mandiri Benih,” DMB,
an Indonesian acronym) from the
Directorate General of Food Crops
to encourage and increase seed
production for upland varieties
in selected provinces. DMB will
financially support the purchase of
starter and foundation seeds from
the AIAT while the directorate
seed program will use starter and
extension seeds for food crops.
The seed production unit of
each AIAT in selected provinces
integrated with the DMB,
ICRR, and the Directorate of
Seed has started seed multiplication
of stress-tolerant rice varieties to
support the effort in 2016. The seed
multiplication is targeting fulfilling
the seed need for 2 million hectares
of upland rice and 0.8 million
hectares of swampy and drought-
prone lowland rice.
Zulkifli Zaini, representing the
International Rice Research
Institute (IRRI) in Indonesia,
has been instrumental in making
the consultation possible. He
highlighted some technologies
such as seeds, machinery, crop
establishment, and crop and natural
resource management. Casiana Vera
Cruz and Yoichiro Kato, working
group leaders of CURE, also joined
the consultation.
Recommended in-kind support
for technology packages (best
management practices) was also
proposed to be given to farmers as
an intervention by the government
to increase rice yield and expand
rice area. Government support
such as simple mechanization
and a seed and fertilizer subsidy
will be provided for farmers by
the Directorate of Food Crops
and Directorate of Agricultural
Infrastructure and Facilities.
A coordination meeting to re-
examine the strategies for seed
multiplication to develop working
mechanisms and a timeline
for producing seeds for the coming
season was set for September 2016,
according to Dr. Nandang Sunandar,
director of cereal production in the
Directorate General of Food Crops,
Ministry of Agriculture.
Attending the workshop were
representatives of the Directorate
General of Food Crops, Directorate
of Seed, Directorate of Cereal
Production, Indonesian Center
for Food Crops Research and
Development, Indonesian Center
for Agricultural Technology
Assessment and Development,
ICRR, IRRI, and CURE. Also
represented were the Swampland
Agriculture Research Institute and
representatives of the Assessment
Institute for Agricultural
Technology (AIAT) in Riau, South
Sumatra, Banten, Lampung, and
West Java as well as local government
units of South Sumatra, Lampung,
Banten, West Java, East Java, and
South Kalimantan. •

K
hushi Ram Mishra and
Lok Nath Devkota are
progressive farmers
living in Nepal.
The 63-year-old
Mr. Mishra lives in Sundarbazar
Municipality in Paundibazar
Lamjung and his farming experience
began in childhood. Mr. Devkota
resides in Palungtar Municipality
in Palungtar, Gorkha, and he is 65
years old.
Both farmers have no high or
advanced education (Mr. Devkota
passed eighth grade and joined the
Nepalese army). They each have
families, including grandchildren.
They come from the Brahmin
high class with Hindu religion.
But, whereas Mr. Mishra started
farming as a child, Mr. Devkota
started farming practices only after
retirement from the Nepalese army
in 2009.
They are medium-level farmers. Mr.
Mishra has around 1.3 hectares of
land, while Mr. Devkota has 2.4 ha
(1.4 ha of upland and 1 ha of rainfed
lowland). Mr. Mishra obtains extra
income from his small tea shop in
Paundibazar Lamjung, where several
villagers usually gather daily for tea.
Aside from their farming activities,
both farmers are active socially in
KhushiRamMishraandLokNath
Devkota:profilesofsuccessfulseed
producerfarmersinNepal Bishnu Bilas Adhikari
the community. They have joined
more than ten institutions and
groups and assumed key positions
in them. Mr. Mishra is now the
coordinator of the district-level
seed producer groups of Lamjung
and vice president of the Sunder
(Model) Seed Producer Agricultural
Cooperative in Sundarbazar,
Lamjung. Mr. Devkota is an
active seed producer member in
the Bhrikuti seed producer group
of Palungtar, Gorkha. Both
farmers became involved in the
IRRI/IAAS research activities of
the IRRI-IFAD project Managing
Rice Landscapes in the Marginal
Uplands for Household Food
Security and Environmental
Sustainability (started in 2005 in
Mr. Mishra’s area; in Mr. Devkota’s
case, the verified technologies were
disseminated in Palungtar villages
in 2007).
Prior to the IRRI project, both
grew local varieties such as Eakle,
Dalle, Gokule Mansuli, Aanpjhutte,
Jhinuwa, Anati, etc., on their
rainfed lowland parcels. For their
upland, Mr. Mishra grew mango,
litchi, and banana, whereas Mr.
Devkota grew upland rice, maize,
and finger millet.
Rice production activities
Before the IRRI/IAAS partnership
under the IFAD project, these
two farmers grew local traditional
varieties (landraces) with low
WordsfromtheField
Khushi Ram Mishra Lok Nath Devkota

May2016 | Vol.6 No.1 ▌CUREMatters24 May2016 | Vol.6 No.1 ▌CUREMatters24
fertilizer response, low tillering, and
less production potential (2‒2.5 t/
ha). Neck blast was very severe for
variety Gokule Mansuli, and covered
more than half of the production
areas.
Both became involved in
participatory action research/
participatory varietal selection
(PVS) in rainfed lowland areas
through mother-baby trials. Mr.
Devkota contributed significantly
to the release and production
of rice varieties Sukhadhan-1
to Sukhadhan-6 and their seed,
including Ramdhan in the western
mid-hills of Nepal (the same as with
Mr. Mishra, with the addition of
scented variety Sunaulo sugandha).
PVS trials, varietal selection, seed
production, seed storage, and
seed distribution were important
activities, which led to increased
productivity and food security in the
Farmers' seed assembly
western mid-hill districts of Nepal.
The two farmers became recipients
of several training activities,
especially on improved rice
cultivation practices, in different
years from projects they were
involved in and those of their
respective District Agriculture
Development Offices (DADOs).
Mr. Devkota particularly had a
month-long seed producer farmers’
training in 2014 at Palungtar
Agricultural Service Center, which
was organized by DADO-Gorkha.
Mr. Mishra as well had extensive
experience involving seed producer
farmers’ training and exposure visits
in different districts.
On their farms, Mr. Mishra and Mr.
Devkota have applied improved
practices from seeding to harvesting,
threshing, storage, and marketing.
They reported that they were able to
obtain more than 5 t/ha of rice yield
from drought-tolerant rice (DTR)
varieties. They are immersed as well
in improved nursery management,
planting, weed management, water
management, nutrient management,
and postharvest management
activities.
Seed production using
drought-tolerant varieties
Mr. Mishra started a commercial
seed production program after
establishing the Sundar Seed
Producer Group in Sundarbazar
in 2007; on the other hand, Mr.
Devkota helped establish the
Palungtar seed producer group,
renamed Bhrikuti SPG in 2010.
These farmers were given first
priority in testing new genotypes
and in producing quality seed of
released varieties. They gained
WordsfromtheField

significant experience in seed
production of drought-tolerant
varieties from Sukhadhan-1 to
Sukhadhan-6. They said that, out
of six newly released drought-
tolerant varieties, the production
potential and drought-tolerance
characteristics were higher with
Sukhadhan-2, whereas production
and cooking quality were higher
with Sukhadhan-5, as it was found
to be very soft, with good taste, and
had good water-absorbing capacity.
Sukhadhan-3 and Pakhe jhinuwa
were more susceptible to neck
blast in hills. This year, Mr. Mishra
produced 1 ton of Sukhadhan-3
and 1 ton of Sukhadhan-4 as quality
seed, whereas Mr. Devkota produced
around 2 tons of Sabitri and 1 ton
of Sukhadhan-2 for quality seed,
including 2 tons of Ramdhan.
Experiences with drought-
tolerant varieties and
management practices
How were they affected by the
stresses occurring on their farms?
Both farmers had used long-
duration local varieties on their
farms before the project. Because
of the long drought at the time of
planting, in some years they could
not transplant the seedlings in
time. Because of the late planting of
long-duration varieties, production
declined to almost half; hence, they
turned to maize, wheat, and other
crops for food.
How did they cope with or
manage farming in such
conditions?
They made use of some drought-
tolerant local varieties during
certain years. Mr. Mishra used
Anga, Marshi, and Ghaiya, while
Mr. Devkota used Chaurasi (84
days), Radha-4, Bindeshwori,
Anga, Marsi, Pakhejhinuwa, and
Rathothantar. After the project, they
used improved drought-tolerant rice
varieties on their upland and rainfed
lowland farms.
How did they find out about the
stress-tolerant varieties or rice
management practices?
Various IRRI projects such as IFAD-
TAG 706, Stress-Tolerant Rice for
Africa and South Asia (STRASA),
WordsfromtheField

May2016 | Vol.6 No.1 ▌CUREMatters26 May2016 | Vol.6 No.1 ▌CUREMatters26
and CURE activities supported
by IFAD have contributed to the
release of drought-tolerant rice
varieties suitable for growing in
upland as well as rainfed lowland
conditions. The farmers said that
they have since been using newly
released DTR varieties on their
farms. They are using different
drought-tolerant varieties in
different years with improved
How long have they been using
the stress-tolerant varieties or rice
Mr. Devkota said that he had
the good opportunity to use
drought-tolerant varieties after
implementation of the CURE
project in 2010 in his village. The
newly released drought-tolerant
varieties such as Sukhadhan-1,
Sukhadhan-2, and Sukhadhan-3
were used after their release
in 2011. Before 2011, he used
Radha-4, Bindeshwori, Chaurasi,
Pakhejhinuwa, Rathothantar,
etc., as drought-tolerant varieties.
Similarly, Mr. Mishra has been using
newly released drought-tolerant
varieties since 2011. Before 2011,
he used Radha-4, Hardinath-1 and
Bindeshwori as drought-tolerant
improved varieties with good
What other support services were
provided by the source of variety
or management practice?
Both farmers confirmed using more
seedlings per hill (>6 tillers) for
drought-tolerant varieties in rainfed
lowland conditions as a general
practice. If the variety was planted
late, the number of tillers increased
up to 8 per hill. In late-planting
conditions, the farmers used a high
amount of nitrogenous fertilizer as
topdressing just after rainfall. Mr.
Mishra particularly used butachlor
as pre-emergence herbicide to
control weeds in rainfed conditions.
Did they make any improvement
or adjustment in their system
of growing varieties or using
Mr. Mishra has more than six
drought-tolerant varieties and Mr.
Devkota has seven drought-tolerant
varieties with an improved package
of practices (POP). They can use
different varieties in different years
in different land types. They are
familiar with improved cultivation
and management practices from
nursery to postharvest management.
What hesitations did they
have before trying a variety or
adapting a management practice;
what convinced them to try it?
Mr. Devkota said that he had some
hesitation when he grew new DTR
varieties obtained in 2011 from
the project. He received a minikit
packet from the project and then
he planted on his small parcel of
land just to test the varieties. When
he observed good results from the
newly obtained varieties, he tried
growing them in large areas.
Both Mr. Devkota and Mr.
Mishra were involved in PVS
trials and varietal demonstration
programs to observe and select
the best genotypes based on good
characters. They selected the newly
released varieties, together with
other farmers. They said that they
developed confidence using these
released varieties on their farms.
They have tried all the drought-
tolerant varieties on their farms
successfully.
How did the varieties or
management practices change
their farming style, livelihood,
and family’s lifestyle?
Both farmers said that, before
the IRRI project, they applied
local farming practices with local
varieties on their farms. They
joined training activities on various
topics sponsored by the IRRI
project and by their respective
DADOs in Lamjung and Gorkha.
After attending the training, they
changed their cultivation practices.
Now, they are progressive farmers
and have started to lead farmers’
organizations. They have developed
a reputation in their community as
good farmers. After the adoption of
newly verified technologies on their
farms, they were able to achieve high
profit from the improved cultivation
practices.
Have they observed any change
in their community with the
farmers’use of the varieties or
They said that the adoption rate of
verified technologies from the IRRI
project is increasing day by day.
After the adoption of newly verified
technologies (drought-tolerant
varieties and management practices)
in different farming communities,
the area adopting drought-tolerant
varieties is also increasing day by
day. Farmers are now able to achieve
almost double grain yield.
WordsfromtheField

Would they recommend the
technologies to other farmers?
Mr. Mishra reported that a number
of farmers have benefited from the
new technologies. The coverage area
of newly released drought-tolerant
varieties in his region has grown
to more than 90%. His support
for the new technologies is drawn
from his involvement in different
organizations at both local and
district levels. He was involved,
for instance, in seed collection
(from national programs), seed
distribution programs from the
Sundar seed cooperative, minikit
distribution programs from IRRI
projects, and experience-sharing
programs with farmers in new areas.
Mr. Devkota also mentioned that he
recommends new technologies to
other farmers on various occasions.
He has been more involved in
different organizations at the local
and district levels. Like Mr. Mishra,
he involved himself in the different
programs organized through IRRI
projects. The coverage area of newly
released drought-tolerant varieties
in his region has surpassed 75%.
The adoption rate of new drought-
tolerant varieties is increasing
annually.
Source of pride and income
Mr. Mishra’s two sons, employed
abroad, and his daughter-in-law,
employed in a local primary school
as a teacher, help provide the needs
of the household through their
earnings. Mr. Devkota’s two sons,
on the other hand, are employed
in their locality as a construction
manager (elder son) and secondary-
level teacher (younger one). They
also share their earnings to the
household.
Mr. Mishra and Mr. Devkota are
now significantly contributing to
theirs families’ household incomes.
Mr. Mishra (who besides earning
from his tea shop and from selling
vegetable seedlings and vegetables
during the on- and off-seasons),
and Mr. Devkota (who also receives
a monthly pension) now have an
additional sturdy source of income.
Mr. Mishra and Mr. Devkota each
contribute around NRs 50,000
rupees (equivalent to $500) from
their rice production.
Mr. Khushi Ram Mishra’s and
Mr. Lok Nath Devkota’s success
stories are still unfolding. They can
be told continually with pride, as
they contribute to the improvement
of their families’ lives and of their
country, Nepal. •
WordsfromtheField

Tidbits
Poudel MR, Adhikari BB, Dhakal CK, Shrestha K.
2014. Role of Sundar seed cooperative for rice
(Oryza sativa) seed supply in Lamjung: a case
study at Sundarbazar, Lamjung. Proceedings
of Undergraduate Practicum Assessment.
Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science. p
95-99.
ABSTRACT
Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is the main staple food
crop of Nepal. Farmers in Nepal mostly use
the informal seed system as the source of
seed, which comprises 92% of the total seed
requirement. A survey was conducted in
Sundarbazar, Lamjung, to study the role of the
Sundar seed cooperative in the seed supply
system in Lamjung District. The study was
made through a household survey in which
semi-structured pretested questionnaires
were used. Secondary information was
collected from different sources such as
project annual reports, key informant surveys,
pamphlets, leaflets, etc. Purposive sampling
of 30 households (HHs) was done for the
sample population, among which 15 HHs
were seed producers and 15 were non-seed-
producer HHs. The study revealed that the
Sundar seed cooperative was a successful seed
cooperative contributing to the formal seed
sector of the district. The technical know-how
of cooperative members; collaboration with
organizations such as the District Agriculture
Development Office (DADO), International
Rice Research Institute (IRRI), District
Development Committee (DDC), Regional
Seed Testing Laboratory (RSTL), and NGOs/
INGOs; participation of female farmers; and a
proper strategic channel for seed marketing,
seed certification, and truthful labeling that
increase the trust of farmers in the cooperative
were the success factors of the cooperative.
This cooperative contributed 11.85% of the
total rice seed requirement of Lamjung District
in 2013. So, the establishment of this seed
cooperative in Sundarbazar Village has played
a key role in enhancing the productivity of
the rice crop and in increasing food security in
Lamjung and other neighboring districts.
Devkota RM, Adhikari BB, Dhakal CK, Chalise
M, Maharjan M. 2013. Role of Harrabot
ladies’seed producer group in food
security in Lamjung, Nepal. Proceedings
of Undergraduate Practicum Assessment.
Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science.
p 81-85.
ABSTRACT
A field survey was conducted in June 2014
to study the role of a ladies’seed producer
group (SPG) in food security through
women’s participation in Harrabot Village of
Tarkugaht VDC, Lamjung. A total sampling
population of 30 was taken from wards
no. 1 to 4, of which 15 were seed producer
members and 15 were nonproducers
selected by simple random sampling
technique. Face-to-face interviews were
conducted using a prestructured and
pretested questionnaire. Results showed
that 63.3% of the population had more than
12 months of food sufficiency. The average
rice production of the population was
found to increase by 26.9% till now after the
establishment of this SPG, which illustrates
that there must be a gradual reduction in
slack months of the family, thus aiding in
the society’s food security. Therefore, the
availability of improved seeds and training
via a community-based seed production
(CBSP) program helps to maintain food
security of the population along with higher
living standards. CBSP is the key strategy of
the seed production program implemented
through the District Seed Self-Sufficiency
Program (DISSPRO) by the government of
Nepal to increase food production and food
security throughout the nation.
Adhikari BB, Haefele SM. 2014. Characterization
of cropping systems in the western mid-hills
of Nepal: constraints and opportunities.
International Journal of Research and
Innovations in Earth Science 1(1):20-26.
ABSTRACT
A cropping systems characterization study
was carried out in three Village Development
Committees (VDCs)—Sundarbazar of Lamjung
District and Purkot and Bhanu of Tanahun
District—in the western mid-hills of Nepal
during 2010. The representative 45 households
from different ecosystems were randomly
selected from these three villages on the basis
of their area under rice cultivation and the
toposequence position of their fields. People’s
knowledge was gathered through focus
group discussions and household surveys in
the study area. The study villages lie in the
subtropical climatic belt in river basin areas of
the Marshyangdi River. The area has subhumid
type of weather conditions with a cold winter,
hot summer, and distinct rainy season. The
dominant features of farming in the study area
were small landholdings, sloping marginal
land, and rainfall-dependent farming. In the
study villages, a variety of crops such as cereals,
fruits, vegetables, and flowers was grown.
The major cropping systems were maize-rice-
fallow and rice-wheat-fallow, intercropped
with pulses in maize and mustard in wheat.
Nutrient-poor soils (micronutrient deficiencies,
low pH, low CEC), farmers’poor access to
inorganic fertilizers, soil-depleting cropping
patterns, and a lack of technical knowledge
on crop management appear to contribute to
increased soil erosion and soil degradation.
The lack of quality seed, insect pests, and
diseases were the major biotic constraints
while the lack of irrigation, drought, and lack
of technical support were the major abiotic
constraints to rice production. Huge potential
exists for increased productivity of rice in the
hills but this needs concerted efforts in capacity
building, technical support through effective
channels, an improved land tenure system, and
the use of quality inputs at the correct time and
place for the emerging farming community.
Publications

Zaini Z, Rumanti IA, Soegondo DW, Kato Y,
editors. 2015. International Proceedings of
Unfavorable Rice Land Securing National Rice
Production in Indonesia. Indonesian Center
for Food Crops Research and Development.
p 252.
From the PREFACE
Collaboration between the Indonesian Center
for Rice Research (ICRR) and IRRI for the CURE
project formally began in 2002, when both
agreed to cooperate for the improvement of
rice research through Indonesia’s National
Rice Research Program.
ICRR research resulted in a series of
technology information that later was
reviewed and developed as an integrated
crop management (ICM) concept. The
Ministry of Agriculture through the
Directorate General for Food Crops is
implementing the ICM Field School to
promote increase in national rice production.
In 2012, ICM was implemented in an ICM
Farmer Field School in areas totaling 3 million
hectares. However, for unfavorable rice
ecosystems, except for the modern varieties,
the technology for cultural practices of ICM
is not developing as fast as that of irrigated
ICM.
One of the concerns in maintaining self-
sufficiency is how productivity level must
increase. Keeping that effort in mind, the
Indonesian government formulated some
programs that included improving the
irrigation system, creating new agricultural
lands (especially sub-optimal lands),
using high-yielding new plant varieties,
and implementing technology for plant
cultivation.
To accelerate the adoption of new rice
varieties, the Indonesian Center for Rice
Research, together with the Assessment
Institute for Agricultural Technology in 33
provinces of Indonesia, increased the seed
production of locally specific modern rice
varieties, especially for unfavourable areas
that are prone to submergence, salinity and
drought, and upland ecosystems.
G
rowing rice is hard
enough for rice
farmers because of
the various challenges
that they face each
day: pest infestations, water and
labor shortages, postharvest losses,
and impending threats such as
climate change. Imagine having to
factor all these in and grow rice in
rainfed lowland and stress-prone
rice environments—rice grown in
salinity-, drought-, and flood-prone
areas.
These are the challenges that CURE
mover Nenita Desamero has to deal
with as a principal rice breeder for
rainfed lowland and stress-prone rice
environments at the Philippine Rice
Research Institute (PhilRice).
At PhilRice, she leads a research
and development team working
A Heart for Filipino farmers
on developing and improving rice
varieties for drought-prone rainfed
lowland and salinity- and flood-
prone rice environments.
“I conceptualize and implement
breeding methodologies and
strategies for a cost-effective and
efficient breeding program aimed at
developing varieties with tolerance
of abiotic stresses (drought, salinity,
submergence), high grain yield,
good grain and eating quality,
and resistance to major pests,” Dr.
Desamero said.
Dr. Desamero was tasked to
improve the Institute’s existing tissue
culture laboratory when she joined
PhilRice in 1994. She was successful
in turning the laboratory into a
facility where nonconventional
approaches could be used to develop
and improve rice varieties. Under
CUREMover
Trina Leah T. Mendoza

her leadership, her research team
was able to generate and develop
hundreds of rice breeding lines for
adverse environments. To date, six
rice varieties for salinity-prone areas
have been released and four varieties
for drought-prone and rainfed
lowland environments have been
developed through tissue culture
methods.
Her valuable contributions have led
to the development and registration
with the National Seed Industry
Council (NSIC) of 11 salinity-
tolerant varieties as of 2013 and
7 drought-tolerant dry-seeded
varieties for rainfed lowlands as of
2015.
Rice varieties for stress-prone
environments require suitable
best management practices or
technologies to achieve high quality.
Dr. Desamero served as program
leader of a PhilRice R&D program
that aimed to develop technologies
appropriate for the target rice
ecosystems and environments
(rainfed lowland and upland, saline,
submergence, cool elevated, heat).
“Under my leadership, the research
team generated technologies and
information on varieties; land
preparation and crop establishment;
soil and nutrient management; pest
management; water harvesting,
conservation, and management;
and crop intensification and
CUREMover

farm trials of IRRI-developed
flood-tolerant breeding lines,
and evaluated the performance
and yield of the lines in stressful
and nonstressful conditions.
Dr. Desamero’s leadership was
instrumental in the release of the
IRRI-developed IR64-Sub1 line
as a variety registered as NSIC
Rc194 with the commercial name
Submarino 1 for cultivation in
flood-prone areas in the Philippines.
“The request for fast or special
accreditation for IR64-Sub1 was
necessary as many farmers were
clamoring for the seeds to be planted
on a commercial scale, as during that
period the country was hit by several
typhoons, resulting in frequent flash
flooding in the low-lying rice areas in
the country,” she said. “During that
time, the policies and guidelines for
varietal registration and release for
the flood-prone rice areas were not
yet in place.”
Dr. Desamero continued her
involvement with CURE from
2011 to 2014 as a principal
investigator and coordinator on
collaborative work to improve
livelihoods and overcome poverty
in drought-prone lowlands of South
and Southeast Asia. Her team
promoted site-specific nutrient
management through the Nutrient
Manager for Rice and Rice Crop
Manager applications. With local
government units, they provided
recommendations for hundreds
of farmer beneficiaries through a
technology clinic. Drought-tolerant
varieties for rainfed lowlands were
also validated and promoted.
Her work has contributed
significantly to improving rice
varieties for farmers, especially in
adverse conditions. The drought-
tolerant and early-maturing varieties
that she developed are one of the
technology options (together with
other associated technologies)
recommended for cultivation to
overcome the ongoing El Niño
phenomenon.
The drought- and salinity-tolerant
varieties developed have also been
recommended to advance climate
change resiliency in rice production,
in combination with other climate
change-resilient cultural practices.
Furthermore, growing these varieties
has been proven to contribute to
raising rice yield and production
in the target areas; thus, farmers’
incomes can also increase.
For her significant contributions to
science, Dr. Desamero has received
numerous awards. These include
receiving the 2010 Achievement
Award in crop science research
from the Crop Science Society of
the Philippines. She was also the
2009 Outstanding R&D Achiever
and a Gawad Saka Outstanding
Agricultural Scientist-Finalist,
awarded by the Department of
Agriculture’s Bureau of Agricultural
Research.
Despite her achievements, Dr.
Desamero believes that a lot more
can be done for our farmers. She
sees that farmers have limited or
no access to information on rice
varieties for their environments
and have problems in seed
availability and sustainability of
an adequate seed supply. However,
she says that the Department of
Agriculture is now attempting
to overcome the problem in seed
supply and distribution through a
seed production network to make
affordable seed sufficiently available
at any time and place needed.
Moreover, she sees that farmers
can be made aware through timely
information campaigns, farmers’
field schools, and communication
materials.
Because of these challenges,
Dr. Desamero continues to work
hard to help our farmers. “Thanks
to the rice farmers who work as
hard as a beast of burden, making
rice available on our dinner table,”
she said. “It inspires me to make
a difference in the lives of our
rice farmers, capitalizing on the
knowledge I have and my expertise.
How I can be of help in my own
capacity to improve our farmers’
well-being, especially with the
climate change adversities that our
rice farmers are facing, motivates me
to work further in rice research.” •
CUREMover
diversification for inclusion in the
PalayCheck System for the target
ecosystem,” she explained.
As a CURE partner, Dr. Desamero
led an IRRI-PhilRice project
from 2007 to 2009 that aimed to
implement plans to disseminate
flood-tolerant rice varieties
and associated new production
practices to farmers in Southeast
Asia. As project team leader, she
implemented on-station and on-

CURE Matters, Volume 6, Number 1, May 2016.

This Newsletter is produced by the Consortium
for Unfavorable Rice Environments (CURE) with
support from the International Fund for Agricultural
Development (IFAD). CURE is a regional platform
for partnerships among institutions from South
and Southeast Asia. The International Rice Research
Institute (IRRI), as the host institution, provides the
coordination function. Scientists from IRRI and the
national agricultural research and extension systems
(NARES) of partner countries work together to
help raise productivity and contribute to improved
livelihoods in unfavourable rice ecosystems.
Materials in this newsletter do not necessarily reflect
the official views of IRRI, IFAD, or collaborating
institutions of CURE.
www. irri.org/cure
EDITORIAL AND PRODUCTION TEAM
CURE
Digna Manzanilla, David Johnson, and Anne Marie Jennifer E. Eligio
COMMUNICATION TEAM
Bill Hardy, Grace Canas (Editors)
Ariel Paelmo (Layout Artist)
Contributing authors: Digna Manzanilla, Luu Ngoc Quyen, Duangjai Suriya-Arunroj, Indrastuti
Rumanti, Zulkifli Zaini, Bishnu Bilas Adhikari, Thac Thi Ngoc Anh, Nguyen Thi Lang, Nguyen
van Hieu, Nguyen Thi Ngoc Huong, Bai Chi Buu, Yoichiro Kato, Aurora Corales, TinTin Myint,
Phetmanyseng Xangsayasane, Somvang Chanthamaly, Khamla Phanthaboun, Trina Leah T.
Mendoza, and Anne Marie Jennifer E. Eligio
Please direct queries, comments, and contributions to:
Digna Manzanilla, Scientist (Social Sciences) and CURE Coordinator
Email: d.manzanilla@cgiar.org
Anne Marie Jennifer E. Eligio, Knowledge Management and Communication Specialist
Email: a.eligio@irri.org
Raising productivity for fragile ecosystems
About IFAD
The International Fund for Agricultural Development
(IFAD), a specialized agency of the United Nations,
was established as an international financial
institution in 1977 as one of the major outcomes
of the 1974 World Food Conference. IFAD
is dedicated to eradicating rural poverty
in developing countries. Seventy-
five percent of the world’s poorest
people —1.4 billion women,
children, and men—live in
rural areas and depend on
agriculture and related
activities for
their livelihoods.
About CURE
Drought, flooding, and soil salinity are among the
key problems in Asia’s rainfed rice environment. The
Consortium for Unfavorable Rice Environments (CURE) is
a platform that provides a venue for partnership between
national agricultural research and extension systems
and IRRI researchers and farmers and extension workers
to tackle these problems in rice farming systems where
low and unstable yields are commonplace and where
extensive poverty and food insecurity prevail. CURE, one
of the projects funded by IFAD, aims to help 100 million
poor farm households in Asia who depend on rice.
CUREMatters

CURE Matters Vol. 6 No. 1

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